I recall digging Mike Grell's work the moment I laid eyes on it. I'm certain it was in a Legion of Super-Heroes mag, most likely Superboy/Legion #210. But I was also aware of his art on Aquaman and the Green Lantern/Green Arrow mag. Much later, I perused his creator-owned Shaman's Tears. I was never - and don't ask why, because I don't have a valid excuse - a reader of Warlord.
Some have called Grell a Neal Adams knock-off. I'm not sure that's an insult, because let's face it - mimicking Adams wouldn't be the worst thing a person could do. But I think we can all agree that Grell's figurework bears some uniqueness. You may say "stock poses"... I'll say "distinctly Grell".
Have a feast for the eyes today, kids. And don't hesitate to use that comment feature down at the end of the post. Thanks in advance to you, and to all the fine folks across the World Wide Web who claim ownership of the images I've included in today's retrospective.
Yeah, I think it's true that Grell was one of those artists who took his initial cues from Adams (like, incidentally, Sienkiewicz, Michael Nasser/Netzer, Brent Anderson, Rich Buckler to some extent...), but I think he really rather quickly developed a distinct style. And, if you want to be mean, you can say that he's a much better writer/scripter than Adams.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the image near the bottom, of Jon Sable with the Maggie the Cat motifs, reminded me that recently there was a Kickstarter campaign to get the short-lived Maggie the Cat series reprinted and completed. It's too late to pledge, but the campaign was funded, and then some (I went for the lowest amount to get a PDF edition).
I saw that funding drive, Edo, but to be honest I don't have any experience with Maggie the Cat. So I'll be appreciative if you'd share some thoughts once the product is in-hand.
DeleteThanks!
Doug
Yeah, I love Grell's art (and his writing is usually pretty good too); his Legion stuff is classic and I really like Warlord; some might call it a Conan knock-off, but it's actually quite different, though obviously in the sword & sorcery genre. Jon Sable is cool too, one of the few indie comics I've read from start to finish.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't have too much experience with Jon Sable - most of the Indie explosion occurred when I was out of comics from 1980-85. Once I returned, I spent most of my time/money catching up with Marvel and DC back issues. And, the Crisis was going on, the handbooks were being published, and the prestige format was a'borning. Only so much money to go around!
DeleteDoug
While I read Warlord, I wasn't a huge fan. Jon Sable, Freelance won me over. For a while it was my favorite monthly comic. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for stopping by, Craig - and my pleasure!
DeleteDoug
Like you, Doug, I've never opened an issue of "Warlord". However, Grell's work on the Legion impressed me greatly, as did his Green Lantern. So much so, that when the opportunity came to meet him at a convention last year in Louisville, I bought a fine drawing of Hal Jordan from him. He was quite kind, and pleased to do the drawing; he and his wife were both most pleasant.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Warlord, and later Jon Sable, and obviously his Legion, for the same reason I can go with Mike's sometimes er, 'interesting' anatomy in that era ie. That you can sense his enjoyment coming off the page.
ReplyDeleteWarlord in particular is basically him throwing everything he likes into a melting pot and having fun with it. That attitude goes a long way with me.
And Sable is a really good character and series, so yeah, although some of his art of the period makes me wince, count me a fan.
My absolute favorite. Jon Sable is one of the most powerful comic book series I've ever read. I was fortunate to meet Mike and he was a very nice guy. He also wrote a Jon Sable book updating the character for the 90's.
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